See It To Be It Spotlight

𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵…I kind of fell into cybersecurity. At the time I wanted to transition into a tech role but didn’t have the traditional technical background i.e I wasn’t a coder or engineer. The company I was working for at the time was an advocate for people moving around and upskilling. I happened to find a Cyber analyst role that was on the GRC side. I networked my way into the role. The rest as they say is history. I was hooked on the industry from the moment I started.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲, 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀…a growth mindset. Things are constantly changing in this industry. In order to be successful you must love learning and wanting to understand different perspectives.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀…communication. Soft skills are so important in the work that we do and are oftentimes overlooked.  Understanding how to effectively communicate aided me in being able to transition into the industry. It continues to be an imperative skill in my current role as I communicate with stakeholders and executive leadership.  

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲r is…Network!! Reach out to someone in a role you are interested in or close to it and set up a coffee chat. There is so much advice out there on how to break into Cyber and honestly most of it isn’t great nor practical. As someone who has had the opportunity to sit on interview panels I see it all the time, candidates have all the certs but no experience. Or you have candidates with experience but they cannot speak to it or tie it to the role they are seeking. Reach out to someone already in the industry and ask them about their journey and how they got there.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺?

 I had an amazing experience with the RISE mentorship program. Being a member of the inaugural class was truly special. I found the sessions to be informative and could tell lots of intentionality went towards planning our activities. The mentors were also committed and they invested in our growth in this industry. 

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲?

My favorite part of being a mentee were my mentors. I could speak to them about anything and they gave great advice. They were instrumental in helping me grow in my career. Special thanks to Amanda Satterwhite and Meredith Wallace.

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